Hot Runner Floor Management System

Polyshot Corp.’s (West Henrietta, NY) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system schedules, tracks and maximizes the company’s production operations. Polyshot’s Factory Floor Management Systems (FFMS) is a custom ERP system that is expected to deliver major manufacturing efficiencies and cost improvements.

Polyshot moved to the one-of-a-kind FFMS program after re-examining its floor management system in response to late delivery complaints from customers. The company lacked an effective way to track progress on production jobs, relying mostly on one person to oversee project work flow and scheduling. Tracking became harder to do as the number of jobs increased.

As a result, Polyshot partnered with Lansend Inc. (New York, NY)—a developer of web-enabled technologies and custom applications, to develop a custom solution that would suit the hot runner maker’s needs. Before partnering with Lansend, Polyshot had done extensive research and found that many currently available software packages weren’t customized for the plastics industry. They included costly standard features, a limited number of user licenses, and high yearly maintenance fees. Polyshot created a concept and outline for the application and Lansend undertook development, prototyping, and testing over the course of six months.

The FFMS program, installed in April, replaces a manual tracking system on a computer spread sheet, containing minimal detailed information. The easy-to-use system from Lansend is comprised of several modules which schedule and track every piece of steel that goes through the manufacturing process from order entry to final assembly. The system tracks work stages in several key areas including purchasing components, engineering, manufacturing, and final assembly and testing. All manufacturing personnel have access to the application via web browser on a networked work station; and are responsible for continuously updating the status of their work piece.